Chapter 8

"You seem pretty tired, Rin. Were you up all night?"

Rin froze mid-yawn, her mind suddenly flooding with all of last night's activities. After they'd returned to the hut, they'd started up again, falling into another exhausted asleep just as the sun really began to rise.

It wasn't until mid-afternoon that she'd woken up. It seemed that Sesshomaru had been just as exhausted as he didn't stir at all when she got up, leaving her the chance to sneak out before they were overwhelmed by passions again. She had things to do today, after all. Like examining Kagome and the new baby.

"Um, yes, but I'm fine."

"I'll say!" Kagome was cradling Inumaru to her breast. "You haven't stopped smiling since you got here." Eyes narrowing on her, she added, "There's something different about you."

Maybe it was her hair? She never did get a chance to brush it after her dip in the river with Sesshomaru. Even this morning, she'd merely run her fingers through it, too worried about waking Sesshomaru before she'd had a chance to get out the door.

"She's practically glowing," Sango chuckled. "I take it that you and Sesshomaru finally found some alone time yesterday."

"We did," Rin admitted, biting back another smile as she poured a cup of tea for everyone.

Both of the women accepted the tea, eyeing her expectantly. At least Sango played it cool. Kagome was literally sitting the edge of her bed in anticipation. It didn't seem as though they were going to give in so easily. Clearly, they'd known what she and Sesshomaru had been up to but wanted some sort of confirmation regarding their suspicions.

Ironically, as comfortable as she was discussing sexual encounters with her patients, Rin found it difficult to even put words to their experience. The whole thing was still a dream to her. She and Sesshomaru? Could anyone possible be this happy?

The most she could finally muster was a nod. Had it not been for the baby at her breast currently Rin suspected that Kagome would have been choking her with a massive hug in an instant, settling instead on clasping Rin's hand in her free one. She even struggled to keep her voice to a low squeal, so as not to wake the baby.

"Oh, Rin! We're so happy for you! My gosh, its been killing me for years! I knew it was only a matter of time but you two are perfect for each other and it just needed to finally happen. Tell me, how did he do it?"

The question had her taken aback. Rin was close with the women but not that close!

"Come on, did he give you a ring? I guess that's not as common in the feudal era, huh? Did he at least get down on one knee? Were there flowers involved?"

"Eh?"

"Don't leave me in suspense. How did he propose?"

"Oh! You weren't asking about…" Rin sighed with relief. She'd probably die if she had to describe any detail of the previous night, even to her closest friends. "Sesshomaru didn't propose marriage."

"Oh." There was definitely some disappointment in her voice. "But you were so smiley when you—Oh!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed with a coy smile. "But you were alone together last night."

"With a bottle of Miroku's 'happy time' sake," Sango noted.

"So something did happen?" Kagome's eyes sparkled.

Cheeks burning again, Rin could only nod her head.

"Then marriage is sure to follow!" Kagome announced. Switching the baby from one breast to the other, she added, "And soon, one of these little ones. I'll bet he wants a boy too. To have power struggles with and compete with his cousins."

"Does Sesshomaru want to have a child?" Sango asked tentatively.

The question hadn't actually crossed Rin's mind before. Truthfully, it hadn't occurred to her to ask. It only seemed natural.

"Why wouldn't he want to have a child with Rin? She'd be a great mom and their babies would be adorable. I wonder who they'd take after more, you or him? You can never tell with—"

"Half-demons," Sango noted.

The silence that followed was sharp as that harsh realization sank in. Even Inumaru seemed to sense the tension and began to fuss about. His coos calmed as Kagome shifted him to rest on her shoulder and patted his back.

Rin's voice was strained. "I, uh, hadn't thought of that."

"I'm sorry," Sango murmured. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I'm sure that Sesshomaru would want kids still," Kagome insisted, patting Rin on the knee. "Especially if they were your children. How could he not want kids with you, Rin? Really!"

Rin's smile was half-hearted, though her stomach was suddenly in knots. After years of waiting around for Sesshomaru to come and ask her to join him, things were suddenly moving so fast. He'd only been here two days and already they were talking about having children together. Children that he may not even want.

This time it was Sango patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry if I've given you doubts. Sesshomaru wouldn't be here if he didn't want a future with you."

"That's true!" Kagome nodded vigorously. "Usually he only visits for a day and he's been here for two! He's on the verge of popping the question, I know it! He's just waiting for the right moment to… to…"

As she trailed off, Kagome was suddenly turning pale. Her shoulders sagged and her arms shook with the weight of the baby.

Both of the women were by her side in an instant and holding mother and child up. They laid her down on her bed as comfortably as they could. Sango shifted Inumaru to her side while Rin checked her pulse.

"I'm fine," Kagome murmured, though her attempts to wave them off were very weak. "I just got a little overexcited and dizzy."

"Your body need times to recover after all its been through. Kaede said she was worried about a possible infection. Sango, did she take the medicine that Kaede mixed up for her?"

"Yes, I even put a little of what was left of it from yesterday in her tea today."

Kagome's voice was breathy even has she joked, "No wonder the tea tasted awful."

"She could barely finish it yesterday."

"You need to finish it all," Rin insisted. "If you don't finish all of the medicine, it won't be as effective and an infection can still happen."

There was still some tea left in her cup, but after examining it, Rin poured the cup into the fire pit at the center of the hut.

"Just get some rest. I'll mix up some more in the meantime," she said, eyeing Sango solemnly.

Normally, the woman would put up a fight when it came to being fussed over, but Kagome went down easily, resting back down in her bed. There was barely even a hum of disappointment when Sango took the small babe into her arms before following Rin out of the hut.

"Is it serious?"

Rin hesitated, her eyes darting back to the hut. She lowered her voice. "The medicine to prevent infection shouldn't taste so bad that its undrinkable."

"What do you think it means?"

"Well, Kagome is kind of sensitive to tastes." Apparently, the future Kagome came from had sweeteners to make medicines easier to swallow.

"But you think Kaede mixed it wrong?" Sango finished for her.

At first, Rin bit her lip, but then she shook her head. "I don't know. Its possible. Her eyesight is not what it used to be. I can't know for sure unless I make it myself and even then, if it is different, it could react poorly to what she's already been given." She sighed, "I should have been here."

"You deserved a day of rest as well." Sango smiled reassuringly, then gestured behind her. "And I'm sure Sesshomaru appreciates having you to himself for a bit."

Rin could feel his presence before she saw him, her spine quivering under his gaze. He must have been waiting as he leaned against the post of the bridge that led from Kagome's hut over the stream to her hut.

Now that Sesshomaru had her attention, he approached her. "Are you done?"

"Almost. I need to make some medicine for Kagome."

"And then you'll be done."

"Well, I have to stay to make sure she doesn't have a bad reactions."

There was an attempt to reign in his annoyance, she could tell. "One of the others can't take your place?"

It was Sango who answered this time. "I don't know as much about medicine as Rin or Kaede. And Inuyasha and Miroku were called away on a mission. Kaede would be with me but she was tired so a villager escorted her home."

"She has the herbs I'll need anyway. I can go check on her," Rin offered, knowing even as she did that the very suggestion wasn't a thrilling one for him.

However, Sesshomaru was quiet and she wondered what he might be thinking. She could tell he was losing his patience with all of her work, but she was unsure what would happen if he finally lost all of it.

"You could wait for me at my place," she offered to him, though perhaps that wasn't much more appealing.

His response was quick. "No. I will join you."

.

The villager that escorted Kaede home was restocking her firewood as they approached. He seemed wary as he caught sight of Sesshomaru but smiled at Rin and was happy to leave things to her.

In his time, Sesshomaru had seen quite a few demons in their old ages, hundreds of years old. Some even near a thousand.

The old woman didn't come close, but she certainly looked to be near the end of her life, laying very still on a flat mat. With so many wrinkles around her eyes, he wondered if she could even see them as they entered.

"Hi Granny," Rin called, louder than should be necessary.

The crone turned in their direction, though she didn't quite look at them. "Rin. What brings you here?" Her voice even was no more than a rasp.

"We came to check on you, of course."

When the old woman was silent, Sesshomaru wondered if she'd heard or perhaps suddenly died in that moment, she was so still.

"Forgive me," she finally said. "I didn't think Sesshomaru had any care to check on this old human."

"On the contrary," he said in a strong voice. "I am curious for your wellbeing."

This was honest. On the one hand, the sheer miracle that she was still alive was curious enough. On the other, the old woman was one of the few humans he genuinely respected and, dare he say, mildly enjoyed conversing with.

A raspy laugh turned into a long, labored cough.

Fussing over her blanket, Rin reprimanded him, "Don't rile Granny up. She needs her rest."

"I think that new babe needs more attention more than I do," she coughed. "Ye've seen the new babe, Sesshomaru?"

"If you mean that mongrel's offspring, then yes."

Again, the old woman laughed. "Our Rin did a fine job in delivery."

"She did," Sesshomaru agreed, his eyes settling on the woman in question.

In the dim light of the hut, he couldn't help but replay some of the images from last night. The heady sound she made, the feel of her small hands on him, her smell of her arousal.

As she stared back at him, he knew by that same scent that she was recalling the same events in her head.
When she was finally through with all this nonsense, he would have his way with her again. Or perhaps, he would let her have her way with him.

With a blush, Rin turned away quickly, tucking the blanket in and around the old woman.

"Granny." Her voice faltered and she cleared it to continue. "I was going to make more of the medicine you gave Kagome, but I forgot the recipe."

There was a hum of disapproval, or perhaps disbelief, but the old woman didn't press her on it. Instead, she rattled off the list of ingredients and where to find them in the row of drawers in the corner.

"I may not see very well, but I remember where things are."

"Was there anything else you added?"

Once again, the old woman hummed with disbelief. "Did Kagome finish the medicine I gave her?"

With reluctance, Rin admitted that the priestess did not.

"Of course. I added marshmallow root."

Rin sighed in relief, "That's why it tasted so bad!"

"It is good for the nethers and Kagome said she missed marshmallow root from back home."

"That must be baby brain talking. She knows marshmallow root tastes different here."

"Ye thought I mixed up a bad batch, did not ye?" Before Rin could contradict her, the old woman continued, "I understand. My eyes are poor and I'm not long for this world."

"Granny."

"But I can still teach ye a thing or two." A smile deepened the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. "Now take that to Kagome and make sure she finishes it."

A dismissal. Finally, Sesshomaru thought. Once Rin delivered this medicine and cleared her conscience, he would be able to seduce her back into bed. If they were even able to make it back to her hut. Perhaps he would take her to the meadow just outside the village, where no one would come looking for her.

"Sesshomaru," the old woman called. "I would have a word with ye while Rin sees to mother and child."

This was not a request.

"Do you mind?" Rin asked, her eyes filled with worry. "I can be back quickly."

"No need," he murmured. "This will not take long."

The comment was a direction for the old woman, but Rin smiled and left with the ingredients.

Alone now, Sesshomaru had no qualms about displaying his annoyance. "What?"

"Why do ye bark so, Sesshomaru?" the crone asked. "I thought ye cared for my wellbeing."

"I said I was curious, not that I cared." He was in no mood to humor her. "What do you want?"

The crone chuckled. "So eager to be with our Rin again. How long has it been since last we spoke?"

He didn't answer.

"Nearly four years," she answered for him. "Do ye recall our last conversation?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I expected you to have expired before I came back."

The crone laughed, an effort that earned her a coughing fit. One that went on for much longer than before. Amidst the hacking, she gestured to the small cup of tea beside her.

Rolling his eyes, the demon lord knelt by the old woman's side and helped her to drink the tea.

For no other human, excluding Rin, of course, would he have bothered to help settle in such a way, but Old Woman Kaede was different.

Not that he particularly cared for her, but it was in her guardianship that he left Rin to grow and live amongst humans until she was ready. For raising her and keeping her safe, the demon lord felt he owed the priestess some form of stability.

When Kaede had first suggested the idea, that Rin live with her amongst humans until she could decide for herself, Sesshomaru was suspicious. Immediately, he'd recalled the incident with Ongukuki and the holy monk Ungai.

The whole memory of that encounter was suddenly very vivid to him at that time. It was perhaps the first time he ever felt an inkling of doubt or shame for his heritage. While Sesshomaru was off plotting revenge, Rin was kidnapped by the flute demon and before he realized what had happened, the wretched monk had come to her rescue.

Watching from the shadow of the trees, he had wondered if this was not for the best. Surely, she was meant to be with humans, he tried to reason to himself. Rin was a human child and did not belong at the side of a revenge-seeking demon.

But she didn't go with the monk. She was waiting for Sesshomaru, and she cried when that monk hauled her from the demon's lair against her will, ignoring her protests and struggles. When she called out for her lord, Sesshomaru emerged from the shadows with a fire in his gut and an intent to kill.

Those pathetic mortals, with their stupid tricks and the way they hissed at him, 'demon,' had effectively pissed him off. The word that had at one time brought him such pride now stung, and then more anger he felt, the more he lost control of his form, his eyes burning red and his stripes growing jagged.

But as the humans cowered and hid, Rin did not. Her eyes did not waver, but of course, she'd seen this before, when they'd first met. And when the monk's grip on her loosened, she returned to him, smiling fearlessly.

In that moment, Sesshomaru felt at ease. Rin put him at ease.

'Follow me,' he begged, but demon lords did not beg, and so he added, 'If you so choose.'

That vile Ungai had been stunned, but Lady Kaede was different. Though she was wary, she somehow understood this relationship between himself and Rin. She did not discourage it. She merely wished for Rin's best, as he did. As humans went, she wasn't so bad.

"What are ye thinking, Sesshomaru?" the old woman asked. When he did not answer, she hummed, "Ah, so it is time then. Ye've come to ask her?"

"Yes."

"Then ye've found her a home, I take it."

"I've made one."

"So that's where ye've been all this time."

It was not easy to be away from Rin for so long, but he did it for her. If Rin were to stay at his side, she needed a home, Old Woman Kaede had told him in their last conversation. However, a palace fit for a demon lord and his human companion did not exist at the time.

It would take planning and construction. Servants needed to be conjured. Fortifications against malicious demons were needed in case of attack. And every luxury and amenity provided.

For nearly four years, every moment of conceiving their home had been done with Rin at the forefront of his mind, and Sesshomaru had seen to it all and was rather pleased with the outcome.

Of course, after last night's encounter in the river, he remembered the need to add a water feature to recreate the moment again. With warm water and absolute privacy.

"Yet ye hesitate." There was a long silence. "Ye have been here for two days."

"There's been a constant string of interruptions," he sneered at her. "Between sniveling children, pregnant women and ailing old crones, Rin has barely a moment to herself."

"And ye worry that she might want to stay to see to us all?"

He'd meant the notion as a slight, but yes, perhaps now, with how much she'd ingratiated herself to needs of this village, Sesshomaru was aware of the possibility that Rin may want to see to those needs indefinitely. He didn't say as much though.

"She will say yes."

"I know she will."

"She'll want to visit though."

"I will not stop her."

"But she'll always come back. Especially if she has her own little ones to tend to."

Lightning shot down his spine. The room was suddenly very cold. The air in his lungs froze. A high pitch ringing started in his ears. The sound of Kaede calling him was very far away.

"Sesshomaru? Surely, ye knew Rin might want children someday. The girl loves ye."

Another strike of lightning hit him, this time in the chest.

The latter statement was not something that he was unaware of. After all, they had been fond of one another for years and just consummated their feelings last night, but to put the word love upon it was exhilarating.

The former statement, however, filled him with cold dread.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Are we done?" he growled.

"I supposed we are."

The demon lord did not spare the crone another glance as he departed. His body moved as though in a trance, following the scent of her through the village until he came before his half-brother's hut. He wasn't sure how long he stood outside of it.

Finally, Rin emerged, her long dark hair caught in a gentle breeze. When she spotted him, she smiled and came up to him.

"Hi." Her voice was music.

The longer he stared, the pinker her cheeks became. Her brows wrinkled.

"Are you all right? You look pale."

Her warm hand settled on his cheek, her thumb moving back and forth against the magenta strips there.
His hands came to rest on her shoulders and he drew her forward until his lips crashed against her.

A gasp of surprise was caught in his mouth, but after a moment, she sighed and melted into his embrace, the hand at his cheek burrowing in his silver locks.

Abruptly, he hoisted her legs up, cradling her against him, and ran as quickly as he could back to her hut. Once inside, he did not let go, instead kneeling on her bed, covering her with his body and kissing her roughly.

Her response was to begin disrobing him. Her small hands dove into the folds of his clothing and rode up the expanse of his shoulder-blades before skimming down to the waistband of his pants. In turn, he nearly tore the obi from her body, snaking his free hand to her lower back to hold her against him.

Once they were finally free of enough fabric, he hoisted one of her legs high upon his waist and thrust into her.

They both cried out and stilled.

Sesshomaru took a moment to gaze upon Rin, caressing her face and savoring the way she looked at him.

Then he surged and she moaned his name.

She was perfect in every way. Her legs tightening around his waist, her nails digging into his skin, her head burrowed into the crook of his neck.

He could sense her pleasure, feeling her tightening around his member, feeding his own pleasure.

She cried out again with release.

And with a bark, Sesshomaru withdrew, his own release spilling out between them. Finally spent, he collapsed.

Then the room was still. The ringing in his ears finally stopped. Aside from the heavy breathing of its occupants, the room was silent.

As the heat of their act dissipated, his Rin began to shiver and he cradled her to him, their bodies both slick with exertion. They both looked at one another again, and though he opened his mouth, he found himself struck speechless under her gaze.

"I love you."

His heart nearly stopped it was so full. Rin had beaten him to the confession and now Sesshomaru must concede.

"I love you too."

A smile crept across his lips, mirroring the one that glowed upon him now. As a shimmer of tears gathered in the corner of her eyes, his arms tightened around her, crushing her to him. Knowing may have been exhilarating but to hears the words from her was absolutely euphoric.

As he stared down the length of their tangled bodies to the mess of his release, a painful realization came upon him. Another bathing trip to the river was in order. In fact, he suspicioned that a they would have many more nights like this. For though he loved Rin more than the world itself, he could never run the risk of her carrying his child.

If, a more ominous voice whispered to him, she wasn't already.

.

...

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Surprise, bitch. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. Yeah, I'm terrible at deadlines so forget I ever set them.

I literally wrote the second half of this chapter in a single day. I'm still hemming and hawing over whether I actually like it. I may edit it and repost it again later, but meh, the plot is going where I want it to go and DAMN if it isn't fun to write these two. Sesshomaru doesn't talk much in the actual series, which plays as cold and aloof but says to mw that he's super introspective. Guessing his thoughts is so much fun. If I could draw worth a damn, I would have preferred to make a comic, but alas, I was blessed with a big vocab instead.

Thanks for all the reviews. I'm really glad y'all like it. I may even consider getting an AO3 to post it there.

~ Author Alex

PS. I'll be working in Tampa at the Outback Bowl over the New Years, if anyone is a local